Loom feeler mechanism



July 11, 1944. A. BENSON LOOM FEELER MECHANISM Filed Sept. 20, 1943 n'ism 2;; tion disclosed.

The projecting feeler arm is a stilT rod, usually n he acco panying drawing: of steel, which, in prior devices, has extended Figure 1 is a p p an W f ee r mechanism through a h llo opening i a ll of it embodying features of my invention shown in, porting casing. Although efforts have been made Operative relation to a filled o a P 1 1011 to provide a floating feeler arm, the walls ofthe H the s n cover being broken away; shallow opening necessarily must guide and re- 2 is a Similar V w Showing the feeler strain its movements with the result that the arm tilted SideWiSe as a result fin ing a bare feeler arm frictionally rubs on those walls dur portion of n; ing its almost continuous vibratory movements Figure 3 s an d View ooking at the upper when riding yarn on a bobbin, and during its m end in Figures 1 and 2, the feeler arm being in side-Wise tiltings into actuating contact with ection; and the transmission rod of a replenishing mecha- ,Figure 4 is a Cross-Sectional iew on ine 4-4 nism. This continual rubbing of metal on metal, of F 1- 9 especially when the feeler arm is of. steel and" Referring to the drawing, the feeler a n Patented July 11, 1944 A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,353,540 a r LOOM FEELER MECHANISM Arthur E. Benson, South Attleboro, Mass. Application September 20, 1943, Serial No. 503,139 2 Claims. (01. 139 -2s1) This invention relates to improvements in loom only. feeler mechanisms. More particular it relates to the a in. And such a sliding point contact may loom feelers which are responsive to a nearly exbe with a different part of the roller surface hausted condition of a bobbin for actuating the for each tilting of the arm, depending on the replenishing mechanism of an automatic loom. A position in which the roller comes to rest prior Loom feelers of the class with which my presto such a tilting. ent invention is concerned have a feeler arm An important feature is that the provision of whichprojects from a relatively fixed easing into the mentioned roller bearing, providing a more engagement with the filler or yarn on a bobbin or less stationary but changing bearing and resiliency of a spring which urges 1t outward tootherwise formed of Bakelite or of any of the Ward the bobbin and tends to maintain it pervarious available and suitable plastic materials, pendicular to the axis of the bobbin. l So long thus conserving metal for the urgent war reas there is yarn on the bobbin with which it can quirements and red in the difiicultl s and engage, the feeler I'ldeS on the yarn and 15 reproblems incident to present governmental restrained against side-wise tilting because it s riations on the use of metal.

slightly indents itself into the relatively soft The best mode in which I have contemplated nearing exhaustion of yarn and the feeler finds en in the accompa yin d aw b t these a e to the casing is of cast iron, tends to produce wear w Preferably is molded 0f Bakelite O a ys itable of n pr b th of th rubbing surfaces, A150 plasticor composition material. It is shown as considerable friction is present interfering with made 111 tWO Parts Of Which the pa t n cona desired sensitivity of th feeler. I stitutes a generally rectangular box and part l2 "It is an object of the present invention to proa Cover fer the top Open Side Of the 100K, eld videa loom feeler mechanism which is more in place by Screw and the ihtelengagement certain and sensitive in operation than the prior a tongue on the Col/e1" in groove 3 in the loom feeler devices. I provide on the feeler caslower d Wall Of the ing, at the mouth of the opening through which The casing 0, #2 as a whole may be secured surface in theform of a roller mounted with its 5 axis transverse of the feeler arm, so that the sp ced a predete mined dl tance from a bobbin roller acts as a roller bearing for the arm dur-' 20, asindicated in Figures 1 and 2. mg its inand out and vibratory movements, and The feeler element may be a stiff metal rod serves as a more or less stationary bearing and of generally reversed L-shape, mounted Within guiding surface with which the feeler arm has 65 casing I0, [2, but having the feeler leg 22 project- V I have discovered that in the casing end wall slightly concave toward the end of the casing which faces the bobbin 2 has one end connected to 28 and has its other end anchored at 32 on the end wall which faces the bobbin.

If bobbin were not in position to prevent it, spring would draw the feeler element to its outermost position with the leg 22 approximately perpendicular to the bobbin aXis and with toe 28 engaging the inverted hook element 34 which projects interiorly of the casing and constitutes a stop limiting outward movement of the feeler as well as a bearing for the toe end of the feeler element when it tilts sidewise as in Figure 2.

Figure 1 illustrates the normal position of the feeler element when riding on a filled bobbin, its leg '22 extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of the bobbin and being maintained resilientlyin that position by the yarn on the bobbin in conjunction with the floating interior connection of the feeler element to the spring 30, which tends continually to tilt the feeler element and which does tilt it when the feeler tip 24 finds a bare portion of bobbin along which it can slide.

Protecting through hole 36 in the side wall of the casing toward which the feeler element tilts is a transmission rod 38 of any suitable and known type of mechanism for replenishing the supply of yarn, as by replacing a nearly exhausted bobbin by a filled one. The transmission rod 38 is yieldably held stationary in its position of Figure l, by means not shown, when the feeler is riding on a filled bobbin, as in Figure 1. When, however, the feeler element tilts sidewise as in Figure 2 in direction toward the transmission rod 38, when the feeler tip finds a bare portion of bobbin as in Figure 2, the transmission rod is actuated by thefeeler leg 22 to the right in Figure 2 thereby to cause operation of the mechanism (not shown) for replacing the exhausted bobbin by a filled one.

, It is an important feature of my invention to greatly minimize friction and the efiects thereof which heretofore have been prevalent in feeler devices of this general class. Because the feeler leg 22 projects out of the casing ill, 52 through a shallow slot 23 in the end wall, and because the bobbin 2G ordinarily will rotate, as its yarn is drawn, in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2-, the feeler leg of prior devices is urged. against the under wall of slot 23 and considerable friction is produced between the feeler leg and the casing, resisting in and out movements or the feeler element and also sidewise tilting thereof.

a single roller 4e mounted on the end wall of the casing under the feeler leg improves greatly the efficiency and sensitivity of the feeler mechanism. The roller may be of steel or other suitably hard material and conveniently may be ing into the usual slot 23, as illustrated in Fig- A coil spring 30 mounted in a cut-out 42 open-' plastic or foot 26 adjacent toe and with the said sidewise tilting of ures 3 and 4. The roller may be loose on a pin 44 having drive fit in a hole 46 in the casing, with its periphery in position to engage the feeler leg and keep it out of contact with any underneath part of the casing at the end wall. Preferably the roller will be a little longer than the distance of sidewise movement of the feeler leg 22, so that the leg will rest on the roller in all positions of the leg.

. It becomes more feasible, with my steel roller bearing for the feeler leg, to mold the casing I0, 12 of Bakelite or of any of the many suitable composition materials.

In operation, the roller 40 serves as a roller bearing for the feeler 16g 22 during its in and out and vibratory movements, and serves as a more or less stationary bearing and guiding surface for the feeler leg during its sidewise tilting movements.

t all times there is but a point contact betweenfeeler leg and roller, and the point on the roller is a continually changing one.

I claim: I

1. A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising a casing, a feeler element resiliently mounted in the casing and including a stiff rod portion projecting out through a wall of the casing and resiliently movable in directions into and out of the casing and tiltable in a sidewise direction, there being an opening in the wall of the casing through which the said rod portion of the feeler element projects, and a roller mounted in said opening under and transversely of the said stiff rod with its periphery in position supporting said rod out of contact with all under parts of the casing in the region of said wall, the roller constituting a roller bearing for the feeler rod during its in and out movements and constituting a substantially stationary longitudinal guiding and bearing surface for the rod during sidewise tilting of the feeler element.

2. In a feeler mechanism for looms having a casing and a feeler element resiliently mounted within the casing and projectin out through an opening in a wall of the casing, said element being resiliently movable in directions into and out of the casing and tiltable in one sidewise direction, that improvement wherein a roller is mounted in the wall through which said feeler element projects and is disposed transversely of said element with its periphery engaging and supporting the projecting part of the element said element generally in the direction of axial extent of the roller.

3. A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising a casing molded of a plastic material, a feeler element of metal mounted in the casing and projecting out through a wall thereof, a spring within the casing resiliently urging said element in direction outward and also in a sidewise tilting direction, there being an opening in the casing through whichsaid element projects, and a roller of hard wear-resisting material mounted in said opening under and transversely of said projecting element, the periphery of the roller engaging and supporting the projecting part of the feeler element and constituting a roller bearing for its said in and out movements and a longitudinal guiding and bearing surface for its said sidewise tiltin movements.

ARTHUR E. BENSON. 

